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Topic: Need Scavenging tutorial. (Read 3440 times)

Iam a big fan of this site...and also big noob in roboticsbut this site has helped me a lot.

iam currently working on 50$ robot.just begging money from everywhere Possible to buy servos .

Now It would be great if u write a tutorial for what all parts can be extracted from easy to find products like VCR,s, scrap computer Junks

scrap toys etc..

It would be great for novices like me.if we go for some kinda garage sale, (Iam from India... So i can go to Pirate market what we call Chor-bazar) we might pick up appropriate items next time.

From the book Robot Builder's bonanza i found this

• VCRs are perhaps the best single source for parts, and they are in plentiful supply (hundredsof millions of them have been built since the mid-1970s). As previously discussed,you’ll find motors (and driver circuits), switches, LEDs, cable harnesses, and IR receivermodules on many models.• CD players have optical systems you can gut out if your robot uses a specialty vision system.Apart from the laser diode, CD players have focusing lenses, miniature multicellphotodiode arrays, diffraction gratings, and beam splitters, as well as micro-miniaturemotors and a precision lead-screw positioning device (used by the laser system to readthe surface of the CD).• Old disk drives (floppy and hard drives) also have a number of components that are veryuseful in robots. Along with the motor that turns the disk, the stepper motor that movesthe head is well suited for use in robot arms or even small walking robots. Later in thebook, opto-interrupters will be discussed and the typical disk drive has at least two ofthese that could be used in a robot.• Fax machines contain numerous motors, gears, miniature leaf switches, and othermechanical parts. These machines also contain an imaging array (it reads the page to faxit) that you might be able to adapt for use as robotic sensors.3.7 SCAVENGING: MAKING DO WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE 35• Mice, printers, old scanners, and other discarded computer peripherals contain valuableoptical and mechanical parts. Mice contain optical encoders that you can use to countthe rotations of your robot’s wheels, printers and scanners contain motors and gears,and scanners contain optics you can use for vision systems and other sensors on yourrobot.• Mechanical toys, especially the motorized variety, can be used either for parts or as arobot base. Remember to keep the motor drivers (as will be discussed later in the book).When looking at motorized vehicles, favor those that use separate motors for each drivewheel (as opposed to a single motor for both wheels), although other drive configurationscan make for interesting and unique robots. Don’t limit yourself!

Well I learned my early electronics and mechanics from scavenging old equipment. About the only suggestion I have is just do it. Take apart old equipment (you have a good list in your post) and look up parts, trace circuits and even apply power to parts (just watch out for smoke). Google and the Internet is a great resource (which I didn't have) to get more information.